Lunar Landing Stamps Appraisal

1969 First Man on the Moon 10-Cent Airmail Stamps (Plate Block of 4)

This item is a plate block of four commemorative 10-cent airmail postage stamps issued by the United States Postal Service in 1969 to celebrate the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The stamps are oriented vertically in a 2x2 configuration with an attached right-hand selvage edge. The design, created by Paul Calle, features an astronaut (Neil Armstrong) stepping off the lunar module ladder onto the moon's surface, with the Earth visible in the background against the black void of space. The text 'FIRST MAN ON THE MOON' runs vertically along the left edge, 'UNITED STATES' at the bottom, and '10c AIR MAIL' in the upper right. The stamps exhibit standard perforations. Notably, the bottom selvage contains a handwritten date '9-11-69' in blue ink, which corresponds to the first day of issue for this specific Scott #C76 stamp. The stamps appear to be in mint, unused condition but are currently housed within a wrinkled plastic protective sleeve or wrapper. There are no obvious signs of creasing to the stamps themselves, though the plastic outer layer shows significant wear and distortion. This specific issue is highly iconic in philately, representing a major milestone in human history and mid-century American design.